Insights: Policy

Balance Billing

The House Ways & Means (W&M) Committee is reportedly developing legislation to overhaul elements of the No Surprises Act (NSA), with a potential vote on the proposal as early as September. Separately, the Senate HELP Committee is planning a member roundtable on NSA implementation/reform this fall.

Nutrition Policy/FDA

FDA has released a proposed rule mandating the submission of GRAS notices for substances purported to be GRAS for use in food (Docket No. FDA-2025-N-3262). Comments close December 9, and if finalized, the rule would take effect 60 days after publication of the final rule, with compliance required 18 months later.

President Trump signed an executive order, “Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans,” establishing a narrowed set of federal childhood vaccine recommendations and directing agencies to advance them. The order recommends universal vaccination against 11 diseases, down from the 18.

Balance Billing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued its en banc decision in Texas Medical Association (TMA) v. HHS. The court largely sided with TMA on the methodology for calculating the qualifying payment amount under the No Surprises Act (NSA).

Russia Sanctions/Tariffs

Earlier this month, the Senate passed, on an 86-11 vote, a bill that codifies current Russia sanctions and provides the President with new authority to impose tariffs on Russia and secondary tariffs on major importers of Russian oil and gas. Reps. McCaul (R-TX) and Hoyer (D-MD) introduced a companion bill in the House, which has nine Democratic...

CLARITY Act (Crypto Market Structure)

Senate negotiators failed to reach an agreement on the CLARITY Act prior to departing for their summer recess over the weekend. However, Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) “filed cloture on the motion to proceed” to the bill (i.e., initiated the process for a procedural vote on the bill) that will take place on 9/15, just after the Senate returns. The...